Examples of Tech Justice Lab Projects
Undergraduate Researcher: Tessca Almeida
Project: “Online Proctoring’s Impact on Students and Student Privacy”
Tessca’s project examined online proctoring software’s claims to fortify education, protecting earned degrees. Her work argued that, in reality, these softwares view students as inherently suspicious and raise significant privacy and bias concerns. Drawing from the anthropological method of “studying up,” Tessca’s project compared proctoring software industry discourse and university policies with findings from her survey assessing student receptions of exam proctoring software in order to understand how Purdue’s relationship to proctoring services symbolizes its institutional values and impacts its students.
About Tessca:
Tessca (she/her) was a fourth-year Electrical Engineering student at Purdue at the time of this project. Through her time at Purdue, she enjoyed learning more about sustainability through her sustainable engineering minor. She also had a wonderful time engaging with different communities through EPICS, Society of Women Engineers, and PurdueTHINK. Moving forward, she would like to enter industry and focus on projects which prioritize access and equitability. To learn more about her work, you can email Tessca at talmeida@purdue.edu.
Undergraduate Researcher: Alyssa Delouise
Project: “Ethics in Engineering Education: Is ABET Enough?”
Alyssa’s research project explored how ABET accreditation outcomes shape engineering education with respect to addressing the relationship between technical knowledge and ethics. Based upon initial research, she found that there was a current disconnect between assessment based engineering outcomes and the political and social discourse needed to understand and maintain an ethical practice as an engineer. Her goal was to discover whether or not accreditation should be continued to be used to the standard in which it is, or changes possibly to be made.
About Alyssa:
Alyssa was a junior pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering Honors with a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the time of this project. She identified as a first-gen, female in STEM and a STEM Diversity Advocate who is all about sustainability in innovation. She was passionate about all things tech- from design to hardware. On campus, she was a sister of Phi Sigma Rho Sorority, a choreographer for Higher Ground Dance Co., Exec for the ECE Student Society, and an ECE Ambassador. To learn more about her work, you can contact Alyssa at adelouis@purdue.edu.
Undergraduate Researcher: Gary Chen
Project: “Prying Eyes: Location-Based Services”
With mobile devices dominating the digital landscape, location-based data collection is a common occurrence. Gary’s project analyzed the social and ethical implications of this phenomenon and presented a solution incorporating legislation, education, and data activism for curtailing invasive US state and corporate data collection measures. Drawing from case studies of companies with recent data scandals, he examined the imbalance of benefits between consumers and corporations. His project concluded that a multi-pronged approach best addressed this complex issue, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives of engineers, policy makers, business analysts, and scholars.About Gary:
Gary was a senior studying Industrial Management and Marketing at the time of this project. He was passionate about sustainable and ethical business practices that look out for all stakeholders of a business. Outside of academics, you could find him participating in various student organizations, cooking (and eating), and at the COREC.
Project: Coded Bias in Resume Screening Software
By: Prithvi, Gabi, and Emily
Prithvi, Gabi, and Emily’s project investigated the impact of coded bias in hiring and talent acquisition practices using resume evaluation algorithms, with a focus on hiring discrimination towards transgender and gender-non-conforming people in resume screening software. The project involved processing fake but qualified candidates’ resumes which include gender neutral pronouns through a resume evaluation program currently on the market that mimics Fortune 500 companies Applicant Tracking Systems.
Undergraduate Researcher: Prithvi Dhanabal
About Prithvi:
Prithvi (he/him) completed this project as a second-year Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering student. In addition to his research involvement, he also mentored first-year Honors students through the Honors Mentoring program, and applied his passion for motorsports and hands-on work in the Honors College Race Crew go-kart racing team. In his spare time, he enjoyed recreational sports, tinkering with electronics, and listening to music.
Undergraduate Researcher: Gabi Ruderman
About Gabi:
Gabi (they/them) completed this project as a fourth-year student at Purdue studying Sociology and PR/Strategic Communication. Through research projects with the Dammon Dean’s Scholars program, they were able to realize their passion for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace. They completed an internship with an HR consulting group creating training about using pronouns in the workplace. Gabi was looking forward to continuing their work and exploring the intersections of race, ethnicity, disability, and economic class for nonbinary and transgender people.